NLG Stands in Solidarity with SPLC Against Baseless Attacks by a Weaponized Department of Justice

Trump's Department of Justice (DOJ) has lodged an attack on the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) by indicting the organization for alleged wire fraud, false statements, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. This is a clear signal to fascist organizations that they are safe and can continue their racist attacks against communities that they marginalize. It is also a clear warning to any of Trump's perceived enemies.

SPLC's work has been vital in furthering the rights of people across the South and the nation. For over 50 years, SPLC has had a track record of fearlessly taking on the KKK and other white Christian Nationalist organizations. Their work ensures that all people in the U.S. can live and lead lives with dignity and without fear. Indeed, Trump, through the DOJ, picked SPLC as its latest political target because of this very impact. According to the indictment, SPLC "defrauded" donors by using paid informants to investigate and expose far-right hate groups. But this is precisely the work that donors wanted to support.

This persecution is the latest in a long line of organizations and people under attack by Trump and his allies. Through the Department of the Treasury, the Administration has targeted Samidoun as a "sham" organization. Using the Department of State, the Administration has designated international solidarity groups as "Foreign Terrorist Organizations." Following the lead of Trump, both Texas and Florida have gone after the Council of Islamic-American Relations (CAIR), falsely declaring it a "Domestic Terrorist Organization". We are not unfamiliar with these kinds of attacks. Throughout our history, the NLG has been targeted by the federal government, and more recently, members of Congress have attempted to intimidate us and the work our members do.

The indictment against SPLC is yet another manifestation of Trump's directive (NSPM-7) targeting leftist ideas. We have already seen it be implemented against the Prairieland Defendants in North Texas, and it continues to be tested against Stop Cop City protesters in Georgia.

We continue to denounce these targeted attacks against our movements and organizations that defend all of us in our fight for liberation.